The Best Bang For Your Canadian Travel Buck

The Canadian dollar is at an all-time low and that can mean a lot of re-planning or at least careful planning for Canadians looking to get away during March break.

So where can you go to get away while not having to plan a getaway from a bank just to pay for it? Here's an easy way: stay in Canada. Time to either embrace winter and book a March break ski trip or find a place to sit by a cozy fire and get some pampering. It's not too late to book one of these All-Canadian locations:

Upper Hot Springs, Banff, Alberta: The Hot Springs are the perfect way to combat the cold Canadian winters, and to get the whole family outside...and maybe a bit cleaner. There's a kids' area as well, and snowshoeing and hiking are a great prelude to a spring(s) warm up. The Rimrock Resort Hotel is an ideal family escape hotel.

Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario: Just a 90 minute drive from Toronto, Niagara-on-the-Lake is becoming just as popular in winter and spring as in the summer and fall harvest months. Long famous for its hundreds of award winning wineries, the village also has a playground, shopping, dining, and Fort George for the whole family to get historical. The Prince of Wales Hotel is ideally situated in the middle of town - just look for the horse drawn carriages.

Quebec City, Quebec: A taste of Europe without the foreign exchange and dipping dollar affecting your joie de vivre in this cobblestoned yet busy and dynamic city. Stroll the streets of Old Quebec - no kid no matter what age can resist riding the Funiculaire. Quebec cuisine at its best and fun shops for the kids to explore. The Auberge Saint-Antoine is conveniently located across from the Musee de la Civilisation, which has terrific family programming.

Sooke Harbour, Vancouver: Renowned for its sunsets and solitude by the Pacific Ocean, this is contrasted by a range activity choices the whole family can enjoy, including zip lines, hiking, touring, and museums before heading back to stay at picturesque Sooke Harbour House.

Lake Louise, Alberta: As beautiful in the winter and spring as it is in the summer, a frozen Lake Louise provides a beautiful backdrop to exciting family activities such as dogsledding, snowboarding, skiing, snowshoeing or a more relaxing horse-drawn sleigh ride all the "kids" will love. The Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise is the jewel in this emerald green and white wonderland.

Want to avoid big or small cities altogether? Take yourself away to Ste Anne's Spa in Grafton, Ontario. Pick the "Train Package" and travel in style from Union Station in Toronto, and be picked up by the spa for first class treatment right at the start. Enjoy their spa and wellness facilities, as well as their world class cuisine. Stay in the main building, or choose from one of their cozy cottages. Great for a mother/daughter spring break getaway.

The Athabasca Ice Cave near Jasper is one of Alberta's most stunning natural formations.
The cave is right on the edge of the Athabasca Glacier, which is part of the Columbia Icefield.
To get there, hike to the toe of the glacier, and then head right along the gravel. You'll spot the ice cave up ahead. Just be careful: the cave isn't safe to go inside, but you can capture plenty of beautiful photos from the front!

Waterton Lakes National Park is swarmed by tourists in the summer, but in winter you'll find nothing but peace and solitude.
The World Heritage Site is an incredible place to catch a glimpse of wildlife. Keep an eye out for bighorn sheep, moose and martens. Try a snowshoe trip to Crandell Lake, or head to the edge of town to see the frozen Cameron Falls.

Every year, artists from around the world congregate in Edmonton for the Ice On Whyte Festival to compete in the ATCO Gas International Ice Carving Competition.
When you're not watching them create magical sculptures, you can try ice carving for yourself, zip down the giant ice slide or enjoy live, local music.

Maligne Lake is the largest natural lake in the Rocky Mountains, and it's one of Canada's most photographed destinations.
It's a great spot for winter camping and has beautiful cross-country skiing trails.

If you decide to camp out near Maligne Lake, definitely swing by Maligne Canyon.
The stunning gorge is surrounded by waterfalls and is carved out of 365-million year old limestone.
There are plenty of local companies that offer icewalk tours — most provide the boots and headlamps, too!

Canada Olympic Park might be known as Alberta's best winter sports destination for families to visit on a day trip, but the ski hills really shine at night when the crowds head home.
The park has four kilometres of floodlit slopes for night skiing — the slopes are lit up until 10 p.m.

There are endless things to do in Lake Louise in the winter. Skiing, snowboarding, dogsledding, snowshoeing, ice climbing, hiking, ice skating, horse-drawn sleigh rides... you name it.
Even if you don't ski or snowboard, the gondola is great for sightseeing. It's one of the most spectacular ways to view Banff National Park.

Read on for more winter activities in Alberta...

Edmonton's Hawrelak Park will be a-glow with an ice castle that lights up at night and offers tunnels, caves and slides for visitors to explore.
Built by Ohio-based Ice Castles, about 5,000 icicles are "farmed" each day for the project.

"Come on it's lovely weather
For a sleigh ride together with you."
Calgary's Horsin' Around (located next to Fish Creek Park) offers horse-drawn sleigh rides to and from a tobogganing hill, followed by pony rides, a petting zoo, a campfire and hot chocolate. Sounds like the perfect way to spend a snowy day.

Gull Lake is one of the best spots to snag whitefish and pike in the province, and it's even more fun in the winter.
Adventure Ice Fishing does all the work for you. It rents out daytime or overnight huts (which include all of your equipment, tables, chairs and bunks), and they're are heated with a wood stove. Holes are already drilled in the ice, and there's even an underwater camera ready for you to use!

Winter is the best time to view the northern lights. The University of Alberta offers an email alert service that lets you know when an aurora might be visible. Better pack a go-bag with mittens, a thermos and hot chocolate packets to be ready once an alert goes out!

The best time to explore Banff's Grotto Canyon is actually after the river has frozen over. Rather than struggling over rocky terrain, you can wander down the smooth, frozen creek bed.
Highlights of the walk include spotting ice climbers on the frozen waterfalls, a geology lesson on ancient ocean floors, and 500-year-old pictographs.

Some of the province's best snowshoeing trails are actually up in the Rockies.
Try the Troll Falls trail near Nakiska. Just a short drive from Canmore (where there are plenty of spots to rent snowshoes if you don't own a pair), this trail is super easy for beginners and not too long — from start to finish the trek is about two hours.

Making maple taffy on snow or "tire d'érable sur la neige" is a francophone tradition that's alive and well in Alberta.
St. Isidore, Bonnyville and Grande Prairie all host sugar shack festivals.
Or, if you're feeling adventurous, you can try making the treat yourself.